Salvatore’s Steakhouse Opens in Hamden from Ferraro Family

Salvatore’s Steakhouse recently opened with little fanfare in Hamden’s Spring Glen neighborhood, but the news ripped through town like wildfire. It was fortunate that the kitchen and staff practiced extensively on friends and family before opening, because within just a few days Salvatore’s was fairly humming, even on so-called “slow” nights.

Salvatore’s owner, Victoria Ferraro, must have realized the restaurant was likely be busy from the get-go and would need to hit the ground running. You see, Victoria has a secret—she’s a third-generation Ferraro. Arguably New Haven “royalty,” the Ferraro family has been in the grocery business for over 70 years, tracing back to Salvatore, Sr. and wife Joan’s humble beginnings at Mohawk Market on State Street in 1952. Then, for almost half a century, Ferraro Foods operated on Grand Avenue, with the couple’s sons—Salvatore, Jr., John, Peter and Mark—joining their parents in running the business. Oldest son Salvatore, Jr., Victoria’s father, eventually became the company president, but sadly passed on in 2010. In spring of 2021, Ferraro’s Market moved to its current convenient quarters on North Haven’s Universal Drive next to Target, bringing with it its huge fan base. Victoria, oldest child of Salvatore, Jr. and Nancy, had to know Salvatore’s would have a built-in audience even before it opened. 

Victoria named Salvatore’s in honor of her father, who had dreamed of opening a steakhouse above Ferraro Foods on Grand Avenue. She worked at the Ferraro’s throughout her youth, learning just about everything there is to know about produce, meat and seafood. She absorbed her family’s philosophy and values. She got to know the clientele. Her family thought “outside the box” before it was an expression, and Victoria has continued that. There’s a template followed by generations of serious steakhouses. Salvatore’s constantly deviates from it—and the customer is the big winner for it. 

First, while a meal at most top steakhouses may have customers grumbling under their breath about the need for a second mortgage, Ferraro’s Market has always operated on the philosophy: “Buy direct, save and pass the savings on to our customers.” As Victoria enjoys the same buying access, she has managed to put together a menu with prices that won’t break the bank. Asked if Salvatore’s would maintain its remarkably fair prices or increase them down the road, Victoria assured me, “I won’t raise my prices as long as I’m making money.”

Second, the steakhouse blueprint typically entails a dimly lit, masculine environment with burnished hardwoods and plush seating. By contrast, Victoria, with design help from architect Paul Fioretti, has remade the former Café Amici quarters, imbuing them with her own personality and warmth. Salvatore’s is a neighborhood eatery with an atmosphere that manages at once to be modern yet comfortable and welcoming. Stylish touches abound in a lounge that includes a rectangular bar in the front surrounded by two-seat high-tops in space and large, semicircular, tan booths along the back wall. The sleek dining room consists, on the right, of long, low tables arranged along sectional white-and-tan banquettes opposed by chairs and backed by a slate-colored wall, and on the left, a row of four low tables that could be termed booths. Finally, Salvatore’s is adding a 16-seat outdoor bar plus tables that would bring the patio capacity to about 60.

Third, steakhouse drink programs are usually anchored by old-school cocktails and a big-spender wine list. Salvatore’s cocktails ($10-$18) include seasonal, classic, and signature options, with a couple available in non-alcoholic versions ($10). The three cocktails we try are as delicious as they are attractive. From the seasonals, the Wine Me Up features Four Roses Bourbon, vanilla, grapefruit juice and Sauvignon Blanc. From the signatures, the Island Livin’ combines Ketel One Vodka, pineapple juice, lime juice and Hibiscus Ginger Beer, while my Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This melds 12-year Glenlivet Scotch, Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur, honey and lemon juice. 

I’m always encouraged when a restaurant’s low-end wine offerings are of good quality. From Salvatore’s evolving wine list (glass $8-$25, bottle $28-$175), on one visit I order a bottle of the cheapest white (a delightful, unoaked, 2024 Cono Sur “Bicicleta” Reserve Chardonnay from Chile’s Central Valley, $9/$32) and on another visit the cheapest red (a very solid 2022 Franco Serro Barbera d’Asti from Italy’s Piedmont region, $9/$32), both wines that outpunch their price. 

But before your drinks arrive, when you’ve barely been seated, you’ll be greeted with slices of the most addictive, appetite-whetting garlic bread you’ll likely encounter. (Save some slices for later, though, because the bread will be a great sop and your appetite will be needed elsewhere.) The ciabatta comes from Bread & Chocolate, one of Hamden’s best-kept secrets, while the garlic butter is housemade and can be purchased at Ferraro’s. I have long maintained that the quality of a restaurant’s initial give-away speaks volumes about how much it values its customers.

Fourth, most leading steakhouses are characterized by showy pieces of steak served à la carte. Salvatore’s steaks ($34-$72) are certainly gorgeous, but you won’t find dinosaur-sized bones hanging off their cuts of meat that you could weaponize in some unimaginable steakhouse emergency, if, like Liam Neeson, you have “a very particular set of skills.” Whoever is grilling the USDA prime steaks has his or her own very particular set of skills, as a 10-ounce boneless Delmonico ($42) from our first visit evidences perfect crisp fat edging, ideal doneness and endless flavor. 

On the next visit, a 10-ounce, Grade 10 Wagyu New York strip ($72), presented sliced on the plate to reveal its gorgeous roseate interior, is insanely unctuous and flavorful. Steaks come with a stainless steel gravy boat of your choice of port wine reduction, Gorgonzola cream sauce, au poivre sauce, or a fresh rosemary and garlic sauce. You can further gild the lily with crabmeat ($16) sautéed in a touch of butter or colossal grilled shrimp ($12 each). But the biggest news is, these steaks are not served à la carte. Read on.

Fifth, high-end steakhouses usually offer large expensive sides that require sharing. Salvatore’s doesn’t have any. What Salvatore’s does instead, and it might be my single favorite innovation at this beguiling eatery, is accompany every entrée, not just its steaks, with two sensibly-sized sides of your choosing, including: grilled asparagus; tarragon creamed corn; sautéed wild mushroom; spinach with Parmesan pesto; mashed potato with béchamel, Gruyère and Parmesan; and roasted potato with sun-dried tomato sauce. All six are as good as they sound and look. So instead of having to settle on a couple of sides to share with your companions, you can customize your sides according to diet and mood.

Sixth, while most destination steakhouses offer non-steak options that simply cover the necessary bases, Salvatore’s ($26-$50) are flat-out amazing, featuring wonderful choices that are anything but afterthoughts. The Two Mark’s dueling ducks ($42), for instance, showcases perfect slices of pink Moulard duck breast with delicious crispy fat in an apricot glaze plus a duck confit leg, the bone Frenched, in a port wine reduction. Now we’re gilding the duck that paddles around the lily. And if you’re wondering about all of these dishes with first names attached to them, they represent recipes contributed by generations of Ferraro’s. It would be understandable if you’re thinking: Maybe I grew up in the wrong family.

Nancy Ann’s halibut Toscana ($34) reveals snowy white pan-seared halibut basted with butter and served in a sauce of herbed sun-dried tomato with a touch of cream. If that doesn’t sound drool-worthy, and it is, try Johnny Fabs center-cut pork chops ($28), an absolute bargain, featuring succulent Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork chops grilled and served in a sauce of slab bacon, mushroom, shallot, white wine and a bit of cream. Kurobuta, a heritage pork created from the Berkshire pig that comes from Japan, is famous for its exceptional tenderness and delicious fat. It’s often touted as the pork equivalent of Wagyu beef. 

Seventh, upper echelon steakhouses tend to maintain a pretty static menu. Many top chefs eschew steakhouse work because they don’t want to be overblown grill masters (not, as Jerry Seinfeld would intone, there’s anything wrong with that). A place like Salvatore’s, that maintains a core of steaks but has so much else going on, would seem a more satisfying career stop. From a customer viewpoint, with Salvatore’s menu gradually evolving plus tempting specials on offer, you never know what delights await. On our most recent visit, we find lurking on the appetizer menu a foie gras mousse ($19), a perfect timbale of silky foie gras dressed with a mixed berry coulis and garnished with a pinwheel of crostini. We also find oysters Rockefeller ($16) among the specials. At Salvatore’s, opportunities for a chef to be creative and find points of pride abound.

We’re more than a little curious to know who is helming this kitchen, putting forth a challenging menu with apparent effortlessness. The answer proves to be Raul Perez, who emigrated to the Elm City in 2009. This rising star’s culinary journey began at Tre Scalini and included stints at Ibiza under Manolo Romero’s auspices (in my opinion, Connecticut’s best restaurant in its day), Pacifico (which, ironically, I helped bring to New Haven), and most recently, Encore by Goodfellas under Gerry Iannaccone’s tutelage. Enough said.

Eighth, while the meats featured at noteworthy steakhouses tend to be pretty predictable, Salvatore’s champions cuts of meat not commonly found in restaurants. A butcher knows! Looking for all the world like baby back pork ribs, an item you’re not likely to find on other restaurant menus is Salvatore’s teeth-tingling lamb ribs ($42) roasted in a tangy spiced sauce with tomato, raisin and chili for flavor that wows. (On a subsequent visit, this dish has transitioned to an appetizer ($18), finding the bigger audience it so richly deserves.) Another of my favorite mains is Joan’s prosciutto chicken thighs ($26), marinated and grilled thighs (boneless, in a nod to restaurant norms) finished with prosciutto and a fresh tarragon cream sauce with a smidge of Dijon. A hugely underrated cut, we have probably consumed about as many Ferraro’s chicken thighs (bone-in) as Bill Clinton has cheeseburgers.

Ninth, the appetizers at top-tier steakhouses are likely to be a limited lot. Shrimp cocktail and lump crab come immediately to mind. But Salvatore’s appetizer selection ($12-$18) is so ridiculous you could lose your mind making a selection. Technically from the soups ($12-$14), where an old school minestra ($12) is also offered, the seafood bisque ($14) is classically French at heart, with a rich and creamy broth laden with bits of shrimp, crab, scallop and lobster and redolent of sherry. Stuffed risotto croquettes ($12) feature twin crunchy carnaroli rice balls stuffed with sausage and smoked Gouda lounging, like Gina Lollobrigida, in a dreamy pool of Gorgonzola cream sauce.

Dainty veal carpaccio ($18) with chilled, thinly shaved, fresh veal tenderloin is dressed with olive oil, lemon, Dijon, shallot and capers and garnished with shaved Parmesan, basil, cherry tomato halves and balsamic reduction. Its fame preceding it, the shrimp cargo ($14) turns out to be Gulf shrimp broiled in garlic herb butter, topped with melted Havarti cheese and served (in a six-hole escargot dish) with crostini. Even more decadent is the stuffed portobello mushroom ($15), which initially can’t even be spotted, hidden beneath an avalanche of fresh crabmeat, spinach and tomato in a creamy white truffle Mornay sauce, but on further excavation proves to be a prodigious specimen.

Tenth, top-of-the-line steakhouses tend to offer a couple of heavy-handed, classic, individual salads—maybe a Caesar and an iceberg wedge—as your best chance to offset the effects of mainlining so much protein and fat into your veins. Salvatore’s salads ($11-$12) are notably more fun and varied. There is a classic Caesar with housemade dressing ($11) as well as a chopped wedge ($12) that fuses two concepts, an iceberg wedge and a chopped salad. Beyond those, there’s an elaborate house salad ($12); a Santorini salad ($11); an endive and shaved Brussels sprouts salad ($12); and my choice, a delicate panzanella ($12) with fresh basket cheese, tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, Kalamata olives, capers, fresh basil and bread cubes all tossed together.

Eleventh, if pasta is offered, and that’s more likely in an Italianate steakhouse such as rule the Connecticut landscape, it’s likely to be bulky and basic, a nod, like chicken or fish, to the rare visitor who has hasn’t come to satisfy a steak craving. But Salvatore’s takes a more continental Italian approach, explicitly offering its pastas ($8-$9), titled Macaroni, not as a main dish but as a course served “before your entrée,” similar to a primi but allowing for the fact that you might first indulge in an appetizer or salad. Salvatore’s pastas, by their nature, are not insubstantial, but the portion size is restrained. We find them wonderful shared as an additional course. On one visit, we enjoy a spicy fettucine ($9) with flat spinach noodles in a rich smoked paprika sauce spiked with a few halved green olives. On another, we succumb to Julia’s famous carbonara ($9), tender cheese tortellini tossed in cream sauce with rendered bacon, peas, Parmigiano Reggiano and saffron. Gluten-free pastas are available for a $4 upcharge.

Twelfth, and finally, should you have any room left, high-roller steakhouses are known to offer very standard desserts like New York cheesecake, frequently outsourced. Salvatore’s desserts ($12) are housemade, including my pleased-as-punch friend’s individual, round, New York cheesecake that is Victoria’s uncle, Pete’s, recipe. Another friend praises his satiny white chocolate crème brûlée and its perfect blowtorched crust. But I am especially thrilled with my barely sweetened tiramisù garnished with whipped cream and blueberries, delicious coffee dripping to the bottom of the fancy dessert glass. 

Victoria has brought to Hamden a delightful eatery that defies conventional expectations and shatters the steakhouse mold. Salvatore’s is modern and inviting, not stodgy. Its food is delicious, creative and reasonably priced. While Salvatore’s Steakhouse is a neighborhood joint at heart, it’s well on its way to becoming a destination restaurant and assuming its place among Connecticut’s top draws.

Salvatore’s Steakhouse, 1670 Whitney Avenue, Hamden; 475-300-2019; salvatores-steakhouse.com